Eternal Reminders

Summary:
Takes place the day Bella escapes Alice to La Push while Edward is away hunting.

What if Jacob hadn't been able to control himself around Bella? Wouls she be yet again endangering herself, as her vampire family believes, or will she prove that werewolves are harmless around the people they care about? And what will the consequences be for poor Bella?

T just in case.

Notes:
This idea came to me whilst re-reading New Moon. I really like this idea, so I'll be spending most of my spare time updating on here!

6. The Seconds Drag By

It seemed as though years had passed while waiting to hear the news about Bella’s condition. My family had long since arrived. From what I had gathered, Carlisle had allowed Emmett and Jasper to get here before hand, and was using the excuse that he had to ‘check his messages at home’ before coming in. Rose and Esme had gotten here shortly after I had. Alice had called Esme, hoping that her presence would soothe me. Rose was being quiet and withdrawn, in her actions at least. In her mind, however, she was practically screaming obscenities at Bella. She knew that I would retaliate over Bella’s attack, and a war would inevitably break out. She hated Bella even more now, blaming her for endangering her husband. Not that Emmett really needed her protection; he was more that elated at a chance to strike out against the wolves. He loved Bella, just as the rest of the family did.

It was good to know that they loved her enough to stand by me when I started this war.

Time dragged by in a way that only immortals could measure. It was as if we could feel the movement of the seconds, tugging at our very being as they slowly move. For the most part, time stood still, as if it was never going to move forward. But move forward it did. In a way, this realization that the clock had not stopped was a relief. Things would keep going; things would have to get better. But after the relief came the dread. What if not everything kept going? What if I was to keep moving forward, while Bella simply ceased to be? It was moments like these that I felt Jasper’s tense hand on my shoulders. He didn’t dare let me rise from my seat, knowing that I would go straight over the boundary to rip out Jacob Black’s throat. I knew better than to act on this particular desire, though. I would see to it that Bella was alright before doing anything that would get me killed. I had to see her face, one last time.

It wasn’t long before someone thought to call Charlie. We went down to the waiting room to meet him, to explain to him that Bella had been mauled by a bear. When Alice explained this to him, I could feel myself bristling at the lie. I wished that we could tell him what had really happened- that the boy he preferred his daughter to be with had tried to kill her. But Charlie could never know what really happened. It was enough that some of our family may be killed over this soon enough. We couldn’t risk his life that way, too.

When nightfall had arrived, we finally got the news about Bella. She was alive, but had sustained massive injuries. To help her body heal, she was not only in an ICU, but she was now in an induced coma, to reduce the amount of stress her body would be under. I envied Charlie, who almost collapsed from the news and spend a long time sobbing by Bella’s bedside. I could do nothing of the sort. All I could do was sit there, clutching her hand, and feel as though I was suffocating. I could never cry the tears of venom welling in my eyes; I could never probably express my devastation at the news.

I looked into the face of my lover. She would forever be scared by that canine’s claws. Every time she would look into the mirror, she would see them, eternal reminders of what he did to her.

Eradicating the world of him and the rest of his pack was the least that I could do to settle the score for her.

Edward’s POV

It seemed as though years had passed while waiting to hear the news about Bella’s condition. My family had long since arrived. From what I had gathered, Carlisle had allowed Emmett and Jasper to get here before hand, and was using the excuse that he had to ‘check his messages at home’ before coming in. Rose and Esme had gotten here shortly after I had. Alice had called Esme, hoping that her presence would soothe me. Rose was being quiet and withdrawn, in her actions at least. In her mind, however, she was practically screaming obscenities at Bella. She knew that I would retaliate over Bella’s attack, and a war would inevitably break out. She hated Bella even more now, blaming her for endangering her husband. Not that Emmett really needed her protection; he was more that elated at a chance to strike out against the wolves. He loved Bella, just as the rest of the family did.

It was good to know that they loved her enough to stand by me when I started this war.

Time dragged by in a way that only immortals could measure. It was as if we could feel the movement of the seconds, tugging at our very being as they slowly move. For the most part, time stood still, as if it was never going to move forward. But move forward it did. In a way, this realization that the clock had not stopped was a relief. Things would keep going; things would have to get better. But after the relief came the dread. What if not everything kept going? What if I was to keep moving forward, while Bella simply ceased to be? It was moments like these that I felt Jasper’s tense hand on my shoulders. He didn’t dare let me rise from my seat, knowing that I would go straight over the boundary to rip out Jacob Black’s throat. I knew better than to act on this particular desire, though. I would see to it that Bella was alright before doing anything that would get me killed. I had to see her face, one last time.

It wasn’t long before someone thought to call Charlie. We went down to the waiting room to meet him, to explain to him that Bella had been mauled by a bear. When Alice explained this to him, I could feel myself bristling at the lie. I wished that we could tell him what had really happened- that the boy he preferred his daughter to be with had tried to kill her. But Charlie could never know what really happened. It was enough that some of our family may be killed over this soon enough. We couldn’t risk his life that way, too.

When nightfall had arrived, we finally got the news about Bella. She was alive, but had sustained massive injuries. To help her body heal, she was not only in an ICU, but she was now in an induced coma, to reduce the amount of stress her body would be under. I envied Charlie, who almost collapsed from the news and spend a long time sobbing by Bella’s bedside. I could do nothing of the sort. All I could do was sit there, clutching her hand, and feel as though I was suffocating. I could never cry the tears of venom welling in my eyes; I could never probably express my devastation at the news.

I looked into the face of my lover. She would forever be scared by that canine’s claws. Every time she would look into the mirror, she would see them, eternal reminders of what he did to her.

Eradicating the world of him and the rest of his pack was the least that I could do to settle the score for her.